Killing Innocence
by Miyuuki
Summary: After 12 years of peace in Konoha, a dangerous pervert walks among them, stalking the female genins at night. With each victim, he grows closer to his main target...[Rated for Situations of rape and violence]
1. Chapter 1

As much as I want to, I never have and never will own Naruto.  
  
Chapter One  
  
Tenten ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Her body was sore, bleeding, and scratched up and the pain from her running didn't help too much. How could she have been so stupid?! She should have let Neji come with her... if he did -he- wouldn't have shown up.  
  
She was picking up firewood for the camp-site when a man cloaked in black showed up. Apparently, he asked her to spar with him so he could test his strengths. Not really one to run from a challenge, Tenten accepted. Things started off okay, until he started trying to touch certain areas when he appeared behind her. Once he had her pinned down and began tearing at her clothes did she know his true intentions. The man kept his body pinned over hers as he began his assault, but luckilly, Tenten eventually got a leg free and kneed his as hard as she could between his legs. Needless to say he rolled off of her. Once she was free, she began to ran and ignored the wounds she had recieved in the battle.  
  
But, he had followed her. He was toying with her, just letting her think that she could outrun him. She silently prayed that he'd keep playing this game until she got back to camp... then Gai-sensei, Lee, and Neji could...  
  
"Ah!" She cried out as her left foot hit a tree-root that was sticking out of the ground. She fell face-first into the dirt and got the breath knocked out of her. It took her a few minutes to recover. When she finally did, she tried to stand, but her forehead also hit a huge rock which made her some-what dizzy. She froze when she heard the twig snap. Then she realized it: she had no idea where she was. She didn't think she had gone that far from camp, but during the fight he lured her away... and now she had nowhere to run. Tears began to rise into her eyes as she tried to walk, but the pain from her ankle being sprained didn't help.  
  
Finally, he had caught up with her. The game of cat and mouse and finally come to an end and he was ready to claim his prize. He grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. By now, most of her chakra had been used up and she couldn't really fight back.  
  
"Goddamn you!" She cried out and went to strike with her free arm, but he easily caught it and pulled her arms to her sides and brought her closer to him. Tenten squinted her eyes to see if she knew her attacker, but since he was wearing a hood to cover his face and it was night, she couldn't see. All she could see was the outline of a smirk on his face.  
  
//Neji-kun...//  
  
"Please... please, don't do this." She said. Maybe she could cry her way out of her fate, but soon found it useless when he released her arm and slapped her across her face. He threw her against the ground, which caused the breath to be knocked out of her again. He pulled a rope from his pocket and put his heavy legs ontop of hers as he tied her hands above her head. Tears made streaks down her face that was covered in dirt and blood as she tried to struggle out, but found it useless as well.  
  
"Please, no!" She begged when he pulled a kunai out and ripped her shirt in half. Her screams for help went unheard as the man began his assault on the girl.  
  
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"What's taking Tenten so long?" Lee asked as he looked to Neji.  
  
"Who cares?!" He yelled at the boy infront of him. He turned his attention to the woods, forcing himself not to use byakugan and search for her. He was mad. Well, not really mad but upset that she wouldn't let him walk with her. He had wanted to actually confess his feelings. He sighed and stood up, grabbing a stick and slinging it around.  
  
Gai turned his attention to his student. He saw the pain in Neji's silver eyes when Tenten had insisted she go alone. The two refused to admit it, but each of them had an attraction to each other.  
  
"GAI-SENSEI!"  
  
Lee, Neji, and Gai all turned their attention to the woods. Tenten's hand were bound infront of her, and she walked with a limp. She tried her best to hold her shirt together, having bruises along her arms, face, neck--everywhere. Due to the throbbing pain she felt between her legs, she collapsed to her knees, sobbing hardly.  
  
Neji ran over to her, and studied her injuries. He grabbed her hands and broke the rope, pulling it off of her wrist as he helped her to stand up and led her to the fire. She sat beside him, trembling. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, and obviously from blows given to her--the sign of a harsh struggle.  
  
Gai and Lee were horrified. They had -never- seen Tenten so beat up... so hurt over something. It looked as if she had seen her own death ten times over. Gai slowly walked infront of her and knelt down, placing his hands on both of her shoulders.  
  
"Tenten... what happened? Who attacked you?"  
  
"I-I... don't know..."  
  
"...What happened?" Lee spoke as he came up behind Gai.  
  
"He-...he..." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to calm herself so she could say it. "He... raped... me...! Neji-kun, he raped me!" She screamed and threw herself against him as she sobbed hardly at the loss of her innocence.  
  
Neji was beyond angry. He wanted to hunt this perverted bastard down and use gentle fist on him until there was nothing left... but all he could do was wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly, telling her he'd protect her.  
  
"Neji-kun, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I didn't let you walk with me!"  
  
"Calm down, Tenten... I promise, if I find him, he -will- suffer." //I swear... I'll kill him, Tenten. I'll kill him for hurting you.//  
  
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All of the genin teams--both rookie and the higher ones gathered outside of the Ninja Academy. Gai had informed Hokage of what happened, and he insisted he get all teams to meet.  
  
"Why're we back here?!" Naruto complained and crossed his arms. "I wanna do a mission, not have some stupid gathering!"  
  
"Just calm down. Hokage-sama is supposed to be talking here, so it -has- to be important." She said. //But, goddamnit, he's right! I wanna hurry up and do more missions so I can be alone with Sasuke-kun!// Her inner-self mentally cursed.  
  
"Did you hear?"  
  
"No, what?"  
  
"It's the reason we're here..."  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
Sasuke couldn't stand girls' gossiping... but he decided to listen to this one.  
  
"They said that a girl from one of the more experienced genin teams was raped last night..."  
  
"What?!"  
  
Sasuke crossed his arms tighter and closed his eyes. He may have been considered "cold", but the one thing he hated other than his brother was a man forcing a woman into a sexual act. //No... this wasn't a woman. But a girl about our age or some-what older...// He sighed angrily at the thought of someone hurting Sakura... he hated to admit it, but he felt some-what closer to her since they were on the same team. Sasuke had been lost in his thoughts that he didn't even feel Naruto shaking him.  
  
"Sasuke!"  
  
"What, dobe?"  
  
"You bastard!" Naruto glared daggers at him and lunged, but was stopped by Sakura trying to hold him back.  
  
"Stop it, Naruto!" She screamed.  
  
"No, I can kick his scrawny ass any day!"  
  
"Whatever... dobe."  
  
"Grrrr!" Naruto began to fight even more, but was stopped by a stronger hand picking him up by his jacket and pulling him away.  
  
"Hey! Hokage-sama is here! So knock it off!" Kakashi said and turned to face the man.  
  
Despite his age, he held great power that deserved great respect, and got that from everyone... well, almost everyone.  
  
"Hey! Old man Hokage!" Naruto yelled at waved with a sheepish grin on his face.  
  
Hokage sighed and waved back, shaking his head. He turned to face everyone and cleared his throat as he began to speak.  
  
"Most of you know why you're here today. And for those who don't know, I'll tell you. Last night, the genin squad under Gai-sensei recieved a horrible shock. The girl, Tenten, was viciously attacked... and assaulted." Everyone began to talk amongst themselves. All of the girls were horrified, and the boys were angered.  
  
Naruto looked down and couldn't help to ask.  
  
"Ano... Kakashi-sensei... what does assault mean?"  
  
Kakashi sighed and put the book he was reading back into his pocket. "Meaning... Tenten was raped."  
  
"Gah!? The perverted bastard who did this should suffer!"  
  
"Yes, he should. But, we can't do anything until we find him."  
  
Everyone calmed down when the noticed the look on Hokage's face. He resumed talking.  
  
"Listen... Tenten is in the hospital recovering, and we're going to try our best to find some kind of DNA the attacker left on her. My point is... we have no idea if this was just a random one-time-attack, or if we're dealing with a serial rapist. Therefore, since we have one girl on each genin team and two boys, the boys will be with the girl at all times."  
  
"What?!" Ino's familiar voice rang through the crowd. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all shuddered. The mere sound of her voice horrified them.  
  
"What is it, Ino?"  
  
"What if we gotta pee or shower?!"  
  
"Then the boys will have to wait outside and guard you along with your sensei..."  
  
All of the girls groaned in unison.  
  
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Little did they know was that he -planned- to attack again. Just to cause someone to suffer. He grinned evilly and continued to look through the crowd for the girl who he planned on making his "play-mate" next. Finally, his eyes rested upon the girl with silver-ish eyes behind the spikey-headed blonde with a blush over her face. 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews everyone! Honestly, I didn't think people would really like this. But, thanks, I appreciate the feed-back. ^_^ Now, for the moment you've all waited for...!  
  
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Sadly, as much as I wish, I never have and never will own Naruto.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The next day seemed to drag on slowly. It was only noon and by then, Team 7 hadn't even gotten around to doing a mission. Sakura actually thought it'd be nice to have them around her constantly, but that thought was soon killed. She had only wanted to spend time alone with Sasuke, and each time she'd try, Naruto or Kakashi would jump in and start annoying her. So, finally, she gave up and suggested they all go to Ichiraku's to eat. Naruto was over joyed.  
  
So, they all sat there, eating their miso ramen. Naruto and Sasuke sat on either side of Sakura, and when she'd try to start up a conversation, Naruto would always chime in and start being... well, Naruto.  
  
"Hey, Sasuke!"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
Naruto scooped up a bunch of noodles into his mouth and quickly chewed and swallowed it. He grinned and then released a huge burp followed by his usual laugh.  
  
"Baka!" Sakura screamed and pounded him on the head.  
  
"Ow! I was only trying to have some fun." He complained as he rubbed his head. While Sakura continued to bitch and scream at him, his eyes caught a figure in another part of Ichiraku's. A small smile crossed his face as he stared at the shy, silver-eyed girl.  
  
Hinata felt as if someone were watching her and she turned her head to see Naruto staring at her. She gasped as a light blush crossed her cheeks. //Naruto-kun is staring at me...!// She looked down and then brought her eyes back over to him. Naruto waved at her, and she couldn't help but to wave back.  
  
"Hey." Kiba's familiar voice spoke up.  
  
"Eh?" Hinata said as she turned her attention away from Naruto and to him. "Kiba-kun?"  
  
"You like Naruto, right?"  
  
Her blush only increased and she looked down, not being able to hide her smile. Kiba sighed. Secretly, inside, he had wished that he could have Hinata gazing at him like that. But, he truly wanted her to be happy. So, he stood up and grabbed her by the arm, causing Hinata to gasp.  
  
"Ki-Kiba-kun!?"  
  
"Come on, Hinata!" He walked toward Naruto and his group, ignoring Hinata's pleas for him to stop.  
  
Naruto looked to Kiba dragging Hinata. //Oh, shit, have I done something to piss this beast off?!//  
  
//Hinata... I only want you to be happy. And this is the only way... I've seen Naruto staring at you when you think he's not. He -may- have a slight crush on Sakura... but, I know he has deeper feelings for you and uses her as an excuse to hide them...// Kiba then dropped Hinata infront of Naruto and walked back to his table.  
  
"Hey, Hinata!" Naruto grinned and jumped down out of his chair to stand infront of her.  
  
"H-Hi... Naruto-kun..." She said with her normal blush.  
  
"You know. You're kinda cute when you're blushing like that..." Naruto said, a light blush coming across his face as well. This only caused Hinata's face to turn even more red.  
  
Sakura and Sasuke both blinked. They were amazed that Naruto actually took the time to acknowledge Hinata's existance. Normally, the shy girl would always be the one staring and secretly wishing that he'd talk to her.  
  
"Wow... think those two like each other?" Sakura said to Sasuke.  
  
"Aa." Came the reply. //Wow. Her hair sure as gotten long...// He thought to himself as he stared at the back of Sakura's head. It was perfect. Straight, fixed, no split ends, shiny... and it smelled just like cherry blossoms. //Heh... how fitting.// He thought. Slowly, he started to move his hand upward, running his fingertips along the strands of her hair slowly. He smiled at how soft it felt.  
  
Sakura gasped softly as she felt Sasuke touching her hair. //He's actually touching my hair...! Sasuke-kun...// She smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying him doing this to her.  
  
Kakashi just looked up at his students from his book. He saw Naruto ask Hinata to go on a walk with him and watched as Sasuke got even more brave and began to move his hand even more against Sakura's soft hair. //Kids.// He thought with a smile behind his mask.  
  
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Hours passed and night had fallen over Konoha. Naruto and Hinata were in the woods by a secluded lake they found, sitting on a log beside each other and staring up at the night sky. They had talked about everything. They mainly talked about the pranks he did back at the academy and how much of a goofball he was. Hinata told him what all she saw in her missions, and he told her the story of Zabuza and Haku.  
  
"Wow... he died to protect the man who made him a tool?"  
  
"Yeah... it was sad, but Zabuza really seemed to care for Haku. It was sad to watch them die."  
  
"They had a strong love... and maybe, their souls will be reincarnated and they can live as lovers." Hinata said with a small blush across her face. A moment of silence passed over them.  
  
"Hinata." Naruto spoke softly.  
  
She turned her attention to the boy. His eyes were closed and he had a very faint blush across his cheeks. His hands were also gripping tightly onto his pants. She stared down at his hands and then back up at him, blinking her silver eyes. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at her, using one of his hands to cup her right cheek, causing the girl to gasp in surprise. His other hand held onto her hand, both of them trembling some.  
  
"I... I'm so sorry for pushing you aside, Hinata. I knew how much you cared for me, and how badly you wished I'd even look at you. Sakura... I did like her, some. But she's in love with Sasuke... and I know that he denies it, but deep down he cares for her as well. And then... I realized deep down, I cared for you, too. And I'm sorry that I didn't see it sooner."  
  
Hinata felt tears rising up into her eyes. All her life--ever since she'd laid eyes on him, all she ever wanted from him was a moment like this. She could only smile brightly and lean closer to him, her lips shyly touching his.  
  
Naruto froze for a moment and his face turned blood red. Hinata was actually kissing him! For a moment he didn't know what to do and he pressed his lips back against hers. His hand that was on her cheek dropped down to her shoulder to slowly wrap around her, his other hand soon following. The kiss started out innocently enough, but the moment Hinata wrapped her arms around him, things changed. Naruto's hands were massaging her back and sides, and Hinata's hands were rubbing around his chest slowly. Their tongues danced in each other's mouths. Naruto slowly broke the kiss and pulled his head away, wrapping his arms around the girl to hold her to his chest, both of them turning the attention to the moon's reflection in the lake.  
  
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The figure watched the new couple from a safe distance. He knew that Naruto couldn't sense his chakra, but the girl could so he lowered it to where it was as if he weren't even there. He had followed them from Ichiraku's to this place, slowly watching and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He had hoped that the girl would be alone by now, but since the boy was still with her, he had no choice but to take him on as well. He smirked and slowly began to make his way to the two.  
  
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Sasuke turned and tossed in his bed. He was having a nightmare--another nightmare. His breathing was harsh and deep and sweat covered his body. Suddenly, something inside his mind screamed "wake up, idiot!" and he gasped as he sat up in bed. His breathing was harsh and his hands gripped onto the sheet. //No, not again...// He thought as he grabbed onto his head. After calming his breathing down, he replayed what had happened in the dream. He had seen Hinata and Naruto sitting on the log, seen them kissing... and then... a figure behind them? //It's only a dream, Sasuke... nothing to it. But still. Why do I have this feeling...? I better go check on the two or else I won't sleep tonight.// He sighed and pushed the covers off of his body and got dressed, making his way out of his apartment and to where Hinata and Naruto were.  
  
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Cliffhanger, cliffhanger, cliffhangerrrrrr! .; Hahaha. Ahem. Can Sasuke make it to Hinata and Naruto? And what did he mean by "Not again?" I guess you'll just have to wait until the next chapter! 


	3. Chapter 3

Wow. Feel happy! I'm actually writing this after finishing chapter 2! Ahaha.. feel lucky. =p Even though I probably won't post it till tomorrow. If I'm not grounded that is...  
  
Sadly, as much as I want, I never have and never will own Naruto.  
  
Chatper 3  
  
Sasuke pushed his wet hair out of his face as he ran to Kakashi's place. He would need the help of his sensei to actually beat this man and get to Naruto and Hinata in time. Once he'd reached where Kakashi was staying, he started to jump up the flight's of stairs to get to him. He landed infront of his door and began to pound onto it hardly.  
  
"Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei, hurry up! It's an emergency! Damnit, open the goddamned--!"  
  
The door opened to show the half-asleep Jounin. Once he'd heard the frantic pounds on his door, he had jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed--mask and all.  
  
"Sasuke? What is it?" He asked while yawning.  
  
"Naruto...! Hinata!" He paused to catch his breath. "Man in black!" Kakashi nodded and grabbed Sasuke to teleport to where Naruto and Hinata were.  
  
Within a few seconds they were in the place from Sasuke's dream. They both began to walk around, eyes searching for any sign of anything. Kakashi sensed a strong chakra coming from one direction and not too long after, Naruto's familiar scream was heard.  
  
"That way!" Sasuke yelled as he and Kakashi began to race in the direction.  
  
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The man had Hinata pinned to the ground, his heavy body over hers to prevent her from using any of those Hyuga tricks and stuff. Most of her chakra had been used up, but not quite enough for him to have his way with her. The boy also caused a problem... but, that pathetic loser was knocked out cold and could not interfere.  
  
"Get off of me!" Hinata screamed as she struggled to get her legs out from under his heavy legs.  
  
"Hehe..." Was all he said as he lowered his head to her face, wanting to remember the way her expression was in this moment of fear.  
  
"Hinata!" A voice from the trees yelled. Naruto had managed to pull himself together and snuck up upon the enemy. He landed ontop of the man, being able to knock him away from Hinata.  
  
"Hinata, go!"  
  
"Naruto..."  
  
"Go now! He's trying to hurt you, damnit, I won't let him!"  
  
"Naruto!" Sasuke's familiar voice was heard. Naruto blinked and turned his attention to see two figures rushing to them.  
  
"Opening!" The man screamed as he grabbed a kunai and plunged it into Naruto's stomach, blood immediately beginning to fall like a waterfall.  
  
Naruto's eyes were wide-open as he felt the force of the kunai going inside of him. Hinata screamed as Kakashi and Sasuke stopped dead in their tracks. Sasuke's horror-filled eyes could only watch in slow-mo as the man pulled the kunai out of the spikey-haired boy. Naruto dropped to his knees, but Kakashi quickly teleported to him and caught him in his arms before he could hit the ground.  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke. I wasn't expecting you to come into my plan now..." He said and jumped by the girl.  
  
"No!" She screamed as she tried to struggle away from his grasp, but he held her firmly.  
  
"We shall meet again." He said and then vanished with Hinata.  
  
Kakashi was motionless as he held his hand over Naruto's bleeding wound. Sasuke was stunned and shocked. //Why didn't I attack him, damnit?! Why didn't I at least try to protect Hinata?! Goddamnit!// He mentally cursed at himself while clentching his hands into fists and closing his eyes. Naruto's soft groans of pain snapped him out of his trance. He ran to the two and kneeled down by them, looking into the darkness at Naruto's bloody head.  
  
"Hi...na...ta..." Was all Naruto could say before he started to cough up blood from his internal injuries and then passing out. Kakashi's grip tightened around the boy as he used one hand to push his blonde bangs out of his eyes.  
  
"We need to get him to the hospital." Kakashi spoke as he then placed that same hand on Sasuke's shoulder, teleporting them to the hospital.  
  
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Hinata cried softly as she felt the pain from the chains tearing into her flesh as she struggled to be freed. Hours had passed since the attack, and she had been raped not once, but three times by this sick bastard. She felt as though she'd be split in two if this carried on anymore. The chains were also around her feet, but there was no need for that considering that he'd broken her legs the moment they came and any movement she caused made the pain travel throughout her body.  
  
He appeared infront of her, not wearing his hood or clothing at all. He smirked as he stared down at her surprised expression.  
  
"Y-you're...!"  
  
"Shhh..." He said, placing his fingers over his lips. He then pulled out an object made out of the hardest wood in the Earth Country and began to walk to her.  
  
Hinata's tears could only flow down her already swollen cheeks from his blows. He really -was- going to kill her. She knew he'd never let her live now that she saw who he was...  
  
"Please... I'm begging you... don't..." Despite her injuries, she still continued to struggle against the chains. God, how many broken bones -did- she have? //My ribs... my legs... god, the pain won't stop... but I have to get free...// An image of Naruto's smiling face entered her mind. //Naruto-kun...// She -had- to live for him. With her new-found inner strength, she began to pull onto her chains, ignoring the pain she felt in her body.  
  
"What a shame... putting up such a strong fight--huh!?" His expression grew as he saw that she was -actually breaking the chains some. He had to act -now-. With one quick slash, he brought the object down quickly, slamming into her head. In that instant, Hinata felt the pain leave her body, and she became even weaker. She lay there, staring into the familiar eyes of her attacker, then suddenly seeing only darkness.  
  
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Naruto lay unconcious in the hospital bed with Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura around him. Sakura's eyes were filled with tears at seeing her friend being so badly injured like this. And over the fact that Hinata was gone. She felt so sorry for the poor girl having to go through the same stuff Tenten did...  
  
Sasuke just mentally cursed himself over and over. How could he have been so stupid?! Why the hell didn't he move and help Hinata?! Damn, because of him... she's... God, that innocent girl having to be a part of that perverted bastard's plans... //Damn, this just pisses me OFF! If I had only had the dream sooner... gah!// With that he turned and started to walk outside.  
  
"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura spoke softly as she watched his back leaving the room.  
  
"Sakura, go after him. I'll stay with Naruto..." Kakashi turned his attention to his stupid, placing his hand on his forehead again. Sakura nodded and ran after Sasuke, shutting the door behind her.  
  
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"Sasuke-kun! Wait!" Sakura called as she ran to the boy. Sasuke stopped and turned around to face her.  
  
"Sakura..." He spoke as he saw that her eyes were still full of tears as she tried to catch her breath. She cleared her throat and they slowly walked to each other. Sasuke's eyes were staring at her and she looked back at him.  
  
"You blame me, don't you?"  
  
"Blame you? For what, Sasuke-kun...?"  
  
"For not getting there time. For not... saving Hinata and finding out who that guy was..." He sighed as he looked down.  
  
"Getting there in time?"  
  
"I... had a dream... about it happening. I thought it was only a dream... but... I remember... I had one about Tenten that night it happened to her... but I ignored it and..." He sighed. "God... I can't stand dobe sometimes, but he -is- a friend, and friends protect each other. And Hinata... that poor girl. Naruto did all he could to protect her..."  
  
Sakura smiled some and looked down as she spoke. "I wish someone would protect me like that. Even though I doubt anyone would go after me..."  
  
Sasuke took a step forward and placed his hands on her shoulders to bring her closer to him. He used one of his hands to gently touch Sakura's chin and bring it up to look at him.  
  
"I'll protect you."  
  
"Only because you have to."  
  
"That's one reason... the other reason is I couldn't bare the thought of you suffering the way Tenten and Hinata probably is right now. I... care for you, Sakura. A lot." A soft smile finally came across his lips as he stared down at the pink-haired girl.  
  
Sakura's cheeks were blood-red. Had Sasuke actually said that to her? That he cared about her? She placed a hand onto his chest, feeling his heart racing under her touch as Sasuke began to wrap his arms around her more.  
  
"Do you care for me... as I care for you?" She spoke, her lips only being about two inches away from his face now.  
  
"Aa..." He said softly as they each closed their eyes. Sasuke leaned down and placed a soft, slow kiss onto Sakura's lips. He didn't want to go into anything too fast, so after a few seconds he pulled away and hugged the girl to him, kissing her on the side of her head, continuing to whisper "I will protect you" in her ear.  
  
"Let's go back. Dobe will want to see us when he wakes up."  
  
Sakura laughed and nodded. They turned back to walk inside when Sasuke wrapped his arm around her and held her close as they walked. Sakura knew that she couldn't ask for nothing else in her life... except Naruto's recovery and Hinata's well-being.  
  
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Two days passed and Naruto was still unconcious. Sakura and Sasuke had gone to their homes to rest, but would spend the day with Kakashi in the hospital. The Jounin never once left his student's side. Inside, he blamed himself for not checking on Hinata or Naruto when Kurenai had asked him the last time he saw Hinata. All Kakashi did was give her his trade-mark smile behind his mask and told her not to worry, that Naruto would protect her... part of his prediction came true. Had -tried- to protect her the best he could... and that's all that mattered.  
  
A small groan of pain caused everyone's attention to turn to Naruto.  
  
He lay there, barely being able to move. His eyes were half-way open, and he turned his head slowly to see everyone.  
  
"Sa...kura... Sasuke...Kaka...shi-sen...sei..." He smiled some.  
  
Sakura stepped up to him and smiled softly. She kissed his forehead in a friendly matter, and stepped back.  
  
"Glad to see you're awake now." She said.  
  
"Mm." Was all he could say. Suddenly his eyes flew open widely and he sat up in bed, not caring about his injuries.  
  
"Hinata! Where's Hinata?! Ugh!" He fell back, holding onto his stomach as he winced and moaned in agony.  
  
Sakura sighed and looked down. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Kurenai, Shino, and Kiba stepped inside. Shino had his glasses on, but everyone could tell that his eyebrows were narrowed in a -very- pissed off sort of way. Both Kiba and Akamaru sat on his head, growling lowly.  
  
"Kurenai? Why're you here?"  
  
"Kakashi, I have some... information..." She turned her gaze to Naruto as she spoke. "Good to see you're awake... because I'm glad I get to tell all of you this instead of having to just wait..."  
  
"Kurenai-sensei..." Naruto spoke weakly. "Where's Hinata...?"  
  
Kurenai flinched as she could hear the pain in the boy's voice. Not pain from his injuries, but pain from not being able to protect Hinata...  
  
"We found... Hinata..."  
  
Sakura's hand slowly made it's way to Sasuke's holding onto his tightly. He gave her hand a comforting squeeze and prepared himself. Naruto's eyes were widened, tears already rising up into them.  
  
"Well...?" Kakashi spoke to break the silence.  
  
"...She's in a deep -deep- coma. They don't even know if she'll live."  
  
The sound of a glass shattering caused everyone to look at Naruto. Tears were falling down his face and blood covered his fist from where he punched the glass vase that one of the nurses put in there, having millions of pieces there.  
  
"Naruto..." Kakashi said quietly.  
  
Naruto released a scream of emotional agony and started to go insane.  
  
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Boom. Chapter 3. .; I hope you all like it. I wanted to make Hinata die... but... that'd just be -too- painful. ;.; Poor Naruto-kun having to suffer... anyways, I'll -try- my best to update with chapter 4 tomorrow. But, I may be grounded. *Dies* If so.. you must wait for an update until Friday.. thanks again for the lovely reviews! 


	4. Chapter 4

Bleh, I'm not grounded. Thanks for the reviews everyone, and I'm SO sorry this is late.. I've just a minor author's block and stupid school.. and problems between me and my boyfriend, but we've worked things out. ^_^ Eh, anyways...!  
  
Eadha Ohn: I'm sorry I had to do that to Hinata. x.x Gomen nasai, just calm down.  
  
Love from Vicky: o_o; Dude, seriously. You're scaring me.. it's like you're reading my mind of my plot! =p But, shhhhh.. since you can read my mind, you cannot tell others my secret.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters.  
  
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Chapter 4  
  
"Damnit! I'll kill him! I'll fucking kill him!" Naruto screamed as he ignored his pain and began to stand up. He ripped the bandages off and a deadly glow of red appeared in his eyes. It was as if all the pain in his body had completely left him and it was filled with rage and madness. Naruto only knew one thing: He was going to find this sick bastard and kill him. Smoke seemed to rise from his bandages, causing them to fall off, and when they did, his wounds had seemed to eal. The genins looked in horror as a slight mist of red began to surround him.  
  
Kurenai's eyes widened in horror as she stared at Naruto's eyes. They were no longer the friendly, calm blue of the energetic boy they once knew--they were now replaced with the familiar look of the kyubi who almost destroyed the village twelve years ago. She turned her attention to Kakashi, who's unmasked eye was also wide.  
  
"Kakashi! You need to get him under control!"  
  
Kakashi couldn't respond. He could handle fighting Zabuza in the mist, he could handle almost anything--anything except seeing those eyes again. The familiar eyes of the kyubi who killed his parents and left him alone. He felt anger starting to burn up into his body, but then stopped. //Aa, Kakashi... Naruto is just being over-taken by the kyubi's chakra... once you get him under control...//  
  
Kakashi brought his fist into the air and swung it at Naruto's face quickly. Naruto was caught off-guard and knocked back onto the bed, trembling some from the blow. He then sat up, his blue eyes now seen with tears in his eyes while he rubbed his bruised cheek. Kakashi walked by his student and sat down by him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Naruto released another pained scream and jumped into his sensei's arms, crying like a baby who had lost its bottle.  
  
"I'm going... to kill him!" Naruto screamed while continuing to shake and cry in Kakashi's arms. Kakashi motioned for everyone to leave the room so he could try to keep the boy under control.  
  
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Tenten sat up in her room at her house. She didn't feel like being left alone, and asked her parents (along with the Hyuga's) if Neji would stay with her until she felt safe again. They agreed, and Neji slept in her room on the floor, by the window. She didn't really go outside much; all she would do is sit in her bed and read... or just stare into space.  
  
Neji hated seeing her like this. He had already told Gai that he wanted to hunt this bastard down and kill him, but Gai had informed him about Hinata and Naruto being attacked, and Hinata being in a coma. That almost drove him to insanity. He could care less about Naruto being hurt--he could die and he wouldn't care. But Hinata... she was pure. Too pure. She didn't deserve that. Hell, no one deserved it.  
  
By now, he was ready to find him and make him suffer the most worse death that a person could ever face. He heard Tenten release a soft sigh and he turned his eyes from the floor to look up at her. There she was: a usually charismatic girl who had a heart of gold and the will of steel. She had the most pained expression on her face. Her eyes had shut down whatever life was in them and had been replaced by darkness and despair--and all he wanted to do was comfort her. But every time he'd try and at least touch her, she'd flinch as if he were made of fire. He let his gaze fall back to the floor, mentally cursing himself for being too weak to protect her.  
  
"Neji-kun..." Her soft voice broke the long lasting silence. Neji's silver eyes turned up to look at her.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Come sit by me, please... I want to talk with you."  
  
He nodded and stood up, making his way to her bed. Instead of sitting by her, he sat infront of her so he could see her face.  
  
"Neji-kun, what do you think of me?" She asked with her face still down.  
  
Neji blinked a few times. //Well, I think you're beautiful, smart, strong, someone I care a lot about...// The question kind of caught him off guard.  
  
"Well..." He began.  
  
"You think I'm impure, don't you?"  
  
"Nani? Tenten, why do you say that?"  
  
She hugged her knees tightly to her chest as tears filled her dark eyes. She forced herself to speak, even though her voice refused.  
  
"Ever--..Ever since that night... you just seem to act... so differently around me... I mean, it's like... I don't know. I just -feel- that you think of me differently. That you think I'm impure because I had my innocence taken away... and I barely even faught back." She lowered her eyes as she felt a wave of pain go through her body and hot tears falling down her face.  
  
Neji sighed deeply before he spoke. He wanted to comfort her, to hold her... to even touch her, but was too scared to do so. //I better do this now...//  
  
"Tenten..." Another sigh. "I do not feel any differently about you. The only person who I'm considering impure is that sick bastard. Not only has he done this to you, but to Hinata-sama as well--he almost killed her. I think neither of you are impure, and that both of you did fight the best you could--you just weren't strong enough... and the only way I've been acting differently around you... is because my feelings for you have grown deeper--much more than friendship. I want to kill this bastard for hurting you--and for hurting Hinata-sama. Neither of you deserved that. And I'm the one who's weak--I couldn't defend you."  
  
"I wouldn't let you go with me." She broke in.  
  
"Listen to me... I care about you, a lot. Tenten... I think I just might be in love with you..."  
  
Tenten scoffed.  
  
"The only reason you're saying that... is because--" Her eyes grew wide, her body froze, and her mind shut down the moment she felt Neji lifting her face to his. Then without warning he closed his silver eyes and placed his lips over hers. She was scared at first. What if he tried to hurt her the same way? //No, Neji would never...// She allowed herself to relax and she kissed back softly. Neither of them went far with the kiss, and after a brief moment, he pulled away from her.  
  
"I know you feel the same way about me, too. You were just too scared to tell me." He whispered while his hands cupped her face, cleaning off her tears.  
  
"True.. that's true..." She said.  
  
"Neji-kun, I'm scared... what if he hurts someone else? He seems to be.. growing violent... he barely hurt me, now he put Hinata-chan in a coma... what'll happen to the next victim?"  
  
He grabbed her by her wrists and pulled her into his arms, holding her to his chest.  
  
"Hopefully, there won't be a next one..."  
  
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Sasuke walked with Sakura hand-in-hand as they made their way to the flower shop. Sakura had insisted on going there and buying flowers for both Tenten and Hinata. Sasuke wasn't too sure about the idea considering who owned it.  
  
"Naaaaaaaniiiiiiii?!" Ino screamed when she saw the two together. She ran over to them to get a closer examination. //They're holding hands!? What the hell is going--Grrrr!//  
  
"Sasuke-kun! Tell me why you're holding hands with this big, ugly forehead girl!"  
  
"Because she's my girlfriend?" Sasuke asked with his eyebrow raised. Ino felt her jaw dropping at least 20 or more feet as she stared at the two.  
  
"Ino-pig, could you please excuse us? We're looking for flowers for Tenten and Hinata-san." Ino mummbled angrily and walked to the back and called for her Mother to help her.  
  
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Ino walked through the empty streets. Night fall had fallen upon Konoha, and even though she knew it was dangerous, she just had to walk to clear her mind. The ramen stand was still open and she had some money in her pocket, so she walked over and ordered miso ramen.  
  
She lazily ate it, feeling too depressed. A shadow fell upon her, but she ignored it.  
  
"Excuse me." The voice said.  
  
"What?" She turned around to see a man in a cape and dressed in all black staring down at her.  
  
"I'm knew in town and I thought that you might help me." He said with an unknown evil smirk going across his face.  
  
Ino sighed and gave her money to the owner and apologized for not eating it all and she agreed to show him around. The man and Ino then left the shop together, walking off into the night. 


	5. AN

Don't you just love these things?  
  
Anyways, I'm going to say what I need to say and then be on my way.  
  
1. Naranja/NetEscaper: I will continue to write this fic no matter what anyone says. People's opinions don't stop me in any way because -I- control the fic and I don't change it for anyone.  
  
2. Silvered Aria: I respect your opinion and point of view of how things should be, but you're forgetting one thing--it's my fanfic. I can make the characters do as I want. I don't go by how the character acts (I do, but not all the time) and this is how I see things. Yes, I know, it's a village with highly-skilled ninja's blah blah... but, if you or anyone else has a problem with me writing the characters OOC, then don't read it. I'm not here to force anyone to read my stuff or to even make people like what I like. This is just simply a way for me to express my creativity.  
  
3. Please, no arguing on the reviews. My simple-minded self can sometimes get confused and think that the stuff is for me when you're really considering it to be for another reviewer on here. If you have a problem with what a reviewer said on here, deal with it. It's their opinion on things.  
  
4. I will finish this. I'm busy with school, and Geometry is getting on my nerves (not to mention the teacher). Plus, I've just been dealing with a lot of crap and I haven't really had the time to concentrate on anything. But, I promise, I will finish this somehow.  
  
Now, with that said, I'll be on my way. Just make sure to check back at least once a week to see if I've updated. Thanks.  
  
~Miyuuki. 


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